
Russian court orders US citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in custody
MOSCOW — A Moscow court has ordered a U.S. citizen suspected of drug smuggling held in pre-trial detention for 30 days, the Moscow courts press service said Saturday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine.
The U.S. citizen, whom Saturday's statement named as Kalob Wayne Byers, was detained after airport customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage.
Russian police said the 28-year-old American had attempted to smuggle a 'significant amount' of drugs into the country, the Interfax agency reported, citing Russia's Federal Customs Service. The agency said the American was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport after flying in from Istanbul on Feb. 7.
Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said the U.S. citizen faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department.
The Washington-Moscow prisoner exchange this month saw Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the United States, returned to Russia in exchange for American Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania who was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school.
Fogel had been serving a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. President Joe Biden's administration designated Fogel as wrongfully detained in December.
President Donald Trump Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Glasgow Times
19 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV after Iranian missiles kill eight
In other developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran's nuclear program back a 'very, very long time'. He added that Israel is not attempting to topple the Iranian government, but said he would not be surprised if that happened as a result of the strikes. 'The regime is very weak,' Mr Netanyahu told a news conference. He added that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump daily. As he spoke, large numbers of explosions were heard in Tehran. Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate ahead of the strike against the TV station, which the military said provided a cover for Iranian military operations. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Women mourn over the body of a man reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on Tabriz (Matin Hashemi/AP) 'At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies,' said Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes 'amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat', Brig Defrin said. Iran's state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland'. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv (Baz Ratner/AP) One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its long-time adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.


Powys County Times
19 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV after Iranian missiles kill eight
Israel struck Iran's state-run television station during a live broadcast on Monday, forcing a reporter to run off camera following an explosion, after Iran fired a new wave of missiles at Israel that killed at least eight people. In other developments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran's nuclear program back a 'very, very long time'. He added that Israel is not attempting to topple the Iranian government, but said he would not be surprised if that happened as a result of the strikes. 'The regime is very weak,' Mr Netanyahu told a news conference. He added that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump daily. As he spoke, large numbers of explosions were heard in Tehran. Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate ahead of the strike against the TV station, which the military said provided a cover for Iranian military operations. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 'At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies,' said Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes 'amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat', Brig Defrin said. Iran's state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland'. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its long-time adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.


The Herald Scotland
28 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Israel strikes state-run Iranian TV after Iranian missiles kill eight
'The regime is very weak,' Mr Netanyahu told a news conference. He added that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump daily. As he spoke, large numbers of explosions were heard in Tehran. Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people in the middle of Tehran to evacuate ahead of the strike against the TV station, which the military said provided a cover for Iranian military operations. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Women mourn over the body of a man reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on Tabriz (Matin Hashemi/AP) 'At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies,' said Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes 'amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat', Brig Defrin said. Iran's state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland'. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze after a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv (Baz Ratner/AP) One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its long-time adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.